Locomotive tank



C. W. WHEELER ET AL LOCOMOTIVE TANK March 15, 1932.

Filed May '7, 1930 INVEN 0R5 MM 1/ BY am j ATTORNEY6' Patented Mar, 15, 1932 p I UNITED STATES FATE} CHARLES W. WHEELER, E ELAS'I' SYRACUSE, NEW YORKQAND PAUL. WILLIS, 0E- onroneo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS To (is ENeIN EmNeooMEANY, or ENeLEWoon,

NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF"DEI |AWARE Y l I LOCOMOTIVE TANK Application filed May 7, 1930, Serial No. 450,570.

This invention relates to fluid supply tanks andmore particularlyto locomotive water tanks, whether carried on the locomotiveor on the usual tender therefor, and we have I herein illustrated the invention as applied to a locomotive tender.

It is, of course, desirable in railway operation,to reduce to a minimum the number of stops required for a locomotive to take on water, and this is especially so with modern motive power and with up-to-date operating practlces, whlch tendtoward longer locomotive runs and a minimum number of stops,

both in passenger and freight service. In the past, it has been the practicetoprovide track pans or troughs along level stretches of the right of way and scoops on thelocomotive tenders for taking water while in motion, in

order to avoid stopping and starting trains at regular water stations. More recently, es-

peoiallywith the, advent of heavier motive power, which has of itself necessitated heavier bridges and right of way generally, larger and heavier tenders of greater water carryingv capacity have been provided. I 7

Such equipment is expensive, and in addition, particularly as to the water troughs and 1 scoops, requires considerable attention for maintenance as well as to prevent the troughs from'freezing up in winter, and even in spite of thisadditional outlayand maintenance ex pense, the problem is not fully met by the use of either one or both ofthese expedients, primarily for the reason that, although there may theoretically, be sufficien't water in a large size tender tank to-run pastone or morefilling stations or track troughs or possibly to arrive at the next terminahyet, in practice, unscheduled stops mustbem'ade before reaching-the desired destination, or even in some :cases locomotives must be changed since the entire supply of water in the tender tank is not really available, because of the low 'le'vel V p 7 I ibers fr'omone. of which the supply: outlet of the water in the tender (which is spread out over arelatively large area of'the tender water bottom) or because it cannot be counted; 'upon to give an even flow 'tothe injector. or" water pump on account ofsur'gingof the, ,water backward and forward causes equipment, and in sonie'cases the entire ob- I, r

viation of the necessity for maintaining track pans, and even the avoidance of thenecessity of providing additional water supply facilities or employing larger tenderse In general,theinvention involves the provision of means ,for utilizing to'the-full or making. fully available, the supply of liquid contained in a movable liquid supply tank,

such as a locomotive tender, and more specifically the utilization of the movements of the tank itself to accomplish this end.

In attaining the foregoing, we contemplate the provisionof means for maintaining a head of water over the tank outlet, even at times when the general average liquid ,levelin the tank has become very low, and in the preferredembodiment of the invention as. applied toa locomotive tender tankfwe propose to divide the tankinto a plurality of sections and to maintain, even whenthe total supply of water inthe tankissmall, a-level ofwater in the section from which the outlet pipe leads which will make possiter in'th'e tank, and wefurther contemplate the provision of asimple', easily maintained,

for'obtaining this end, preferably actuated by or under. the influence of'the movement or surging of the water'caus ed by the movements of. the tank; j j g 1 More specifically, we contemplate the di- 1 vision of .a movable tank, suchas a tender tank, intoa plurality of sections or cham or suction pipe leads; and to provide a device,

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ble the utilization of practically all thewa inexpensive, positiveand automatic device "such as afiap;valve",(,operable bygravitylor byv the pressure of the water-or?by'fboth which'fwill open in' a directionto permit a 'fiow'of v'vaterylas it surges in the tank,"into the suctionpipe-equipped chamber the I such as springs together with such others as are incident tothe invention or Wlll occur to those skilled 1n the art, are attained, will be evident from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical section through a locomotive tender tank, taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2, showing one embodiment of our invention; and

Figure 2 1s a transverse section through the tender tank, on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that we have illustrated a locomotive tender tank 2 having the usual suction pipe or water supply outlet 3, which is generally located at the forward end of the tender, as shown. Such tanks are ordinarily supplied with swash-plates to prevent excessive surging of the water, and also sometimes employed to serve as braces or stifi'eners for the tank itself. -We segregate the portion of the water for a sectionof the tank adjacent the out let 3, as indicated at 4:, by means of a partition wall or plate 5, forming chambers 1 and 6, and it should be understood that the plate 5 may be a separate plate built into the tank for this purpose or may be one of the usual swash-plates extended downwardly toform a complete partition or division wall, such plate, in any case, preferably extending transversely of the tender tank.

Communication between the sections of the tank is provided by means of one or more openings 7 in plate 5 (three being here shown), preferably located at or very near the bottom thereof. Any suitable means, such as a pivoted gate, cover, or valve 8, tending to close by gravity and by water pressure, and acted upon by a yielding device 9, (which here serve also as the pivot means), may be employed to close each opening 7, such means being arranged to open only in one direction, that is in a direction to admit water from chamber 6 to chamber 1, under the influence of a forward surge of the water in the tank, as when the brakes of the vehicle are applied or when it is inclined on a grade, and to restrict or entirely prevent the movement of water in the opposite direction, as when the vehicle gives a rearward surge to the water.

The action of the device is, therefore, in the nature of a flap-valve or check-valve action, to effect an automatic intermittent flow of water in one direction only, or substantially in one direction, to wit: from the rear chamber 6 to the forward chamber 4, so that when the water level in the tender is low, as indicated at 6a, there will still be maintained, almost until the complete exhaustion of the water supply, an available head or level of water above the outlet pipe 3 as indicated at 4a. In this connection it will be under stood that excessive rise of the water in chamber 1, or overflow through the vent 10 thereof, will not occur, since the force of the surging water is not sufficient to raise a head of water in chamber 4 to the top thereof under any ordinary conditions of service, but to make this absolutely certain, the pressure of the springs 9 may be so arranged or adjusted that only a sufficient head of water will be maintained in chamber f to ensure constant supply for outlet 3 up until the time when the total supply is practically exhausted.

To prevent interference with the action of the valves, as by dirt or foreign matter present in the water introduced into chamber 6 through the filling throat 11, we provide a filter or screen 12, interposed between partition 5 and throat 11.

By virtue of the usual sloping coal floor 13, positioned between the side portions or legsla of thetank, the capacity of chamber 1 is, of course, materially less in proportion to its length than the capacity of chamber 6, which tends to augment the desired effect, that is to provide an increased head of water in chamber 4t per unit volume of water forced thereinto, and in this connection we may add tion may be still further enhanced by placing the partition 5 farther forward, for example at a point adjacent the juncture 15 of the sloping sheet 13 with the floor sheet 16.

From the foregoing, it is believed to be evident that the desired objects are obtained in a simple and efficient manner, and by a device which is inexpensive to apply either to existing or new equipment, which is automatic in its action, requires little or no attention or maintenance, utilizes forces which are normally available in service and which that the advantages obtainable by the invennot heretofore been possible; and it is even conceivable that, asa last resort in excep tional circumstances where the water is very low, the engineercould disconnect the locomotive from the train, run it ahead a short distanceand'stop suddenly to bring practically the last gallon of Water into the front compartment and enable him to reach his terminal.

What we claim is 1. A divided tender tank having an inlet in one section thereof and an outlet in another section, means permitting flow of water from the former section to the latter' and constructed to restrict opposite flow, and dirt-intercepting means between said lastnamed means and said inlet.

2. A fluid container for railroad vehicles having two compartments divided by an upright partition, an opening in the partition near the bottom thereof for passage of fluid in a substantially horizontal direction, and means permitting flow of fluid from one compartment into the other but constructed to restrain flow in the opposite direction.

3. A fluid container for railroad vehicles having two compartments divided by an upright partition, an inlet to one compartment, an outlet from the other compartment, an opening in the partition near the bottom thereof forpassage of fluid in a substantially for openingtoward the compartment having to the motion of the locomotive.

'In testimony whereof, we have hereunto flap valve. s o 7 A locomotive water tank of greater length than width with the longer dimension arranged lengthwise of the locomotive,

a transverse partition dividing the tank into two compartments,.a water inlet to one compartment, a water outlet from the other compartment, an opening in the partition near the bottom thereof, and a check valve therefor opening toward the compartment having the outlet under the influence of surging due signed our names.

. CHARLES W.

WHEELER. I PAUL WILLIS.

; horizontal direction, and a checkvalve therel the outlet under theinfluence of surging due 7 to the motion of the locomotive.

4. A fluid container for, railroad vehicles having two compartments divided by an up right partition, an inlet to one compartment, an outlet from the other compartment, an opening in the partition near the bottom thereof for passage of fluid in a substantially horizontal direction, and a check valve'therefor opening toward the compartment having the outlet under the influence of surging due to the motion of the locomotive,'together V with dirt-intercepting means between the inlet and said check valve.

5. A fluid container for railroad vehicles having two compartments divided by an upright partition, an inlet to one compartment, an outlet from the other compartment, an openingin the partition near the bottom thereof for passage of fluid in a substantially horizontal direction, and a flap valveltherefor mounted upon a spring member which urges the valve to closed position, said flap valve being arranged to open to permit flow from the compartment having the inlet to the compartment having the outlet under the influence of surging due to the motion of the locomotive.

6. A fluid container for railroad vehicles 4 having two compartments divided by an upright partition, an inlet to one compartment, an outlet from the other compartment, an

opening in the partition near the bottom thereof for passage of fluid in a substantially horizontal direction, and a flap valve therefor mounted upon a'spring member which urges the valveto closed position, said flap valve being arranged to open to permit flow 7 from the compartment having the inlet to. 

